First, standing for The Pledge of Allegiance and holding a hand over your heart does not make you a patriot. Did you know that it was written in 1892 by Francis Julius Bellamy (1855 – 1931), an American Christian socialist minister and author, and it was formally adopted by the U.S Congress in 1945. The words “under God” were added in 1954.
The “Always Trump” basket of deplorable loyalists will probably define a patriot as someone who is loyal to President Trump, because most if not all of them think “their” (false) god sent Trump to them to Make America Great Again, whatever that means because Trump has never been clear about that. Since he’s making a profit off of each hat sold, I suspect he doesn’t want to come up with a definition. According to one estimate, Trump’s profit for the…
My parents were teenagers during Greed’s Great Depression
They were 14
Forced to drop out of high school to find jobs with unemployment at twenty-five percent
Working long days for pennies
There was never enough
food
safe water
clothing
shelter
Malnutrition was a widespread problem
Then Japan bombed Pearl Harbor killing 2,403 Americans and wounding 1,143
It was murder, and the gods of greed rejoiced
And for America’s young adults, it was an opportunity not to be ignored
The Greatest Generation left unemployment, homelessness, and hunger behind to join the chaos of war
When the war ended, 416,800 U.S. troops had been killed and another 671,801 were wounded
To mold the survivors of the Great Depression and World War II into America’s Greatest Generation only cost the world the lives of 70-to-85 million civilians and military
If AOC (Alexandria Ocasio Cortez) stays true to herself and avoids being corrupted by the terminal cancer that corporate Democrats and most if not every Republican represent (and I’m talking about “EVERY” registered Republican, not just the elected ones. I mean every brain dead, biased, racist GOP voter), then here is my suggestion for paying for AOC’s Green New Deal.
The United States must pass legislation that limits defense spending to twice what the European Union’s member nations spend on their defense. When Illegitimate Fake President Donald Trump blames NATO nations for not spending enough on defense, it is safe to say that he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
“In 2016, the EU’s 28 Member States earmarked €200 billion of public expenditure for ‘defense’ (That is $226.738-Billion U.S. Dollars).” Most if not all of the EU also belongs to NATO.
Malcolm Browne’s photograph of the burning monk to Nick Ut’s picture of a nine-year-old girl running from a napalm attack, the Associated Press’s Saigon bureau captured the realities and tragedies of the Vietnam war. AP won six Pulitzer prizes for its war coverage, four for photography. WARNING: Some photos are extremely graphic and caution is advised.
Sunlight breaks through dense foliage around the town of Binh Gia as South Vietnamese troops, joined by US advisers, rest after a tense night of waiting in an ambush position for a Vietcong attack that did not come, January 1965 Photograph: Horst Faas/AP Facebook Twitter Pinterest
Caught in sudden monsoon rain, part of a company of about 130 South Vietnamese soldiers moves downriver in sampans during a dawn attack on a Vietcong camp on 10 January 1966. Several guerrillas were reported killed or wounded in the action 13 miles northeast of Can Tho, in…
Would you believe me if I told you the Oath of Office came first and is more important than the Pledge of Allegiance?
No one should be forced to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in school, before a football game, or anywhere else. Instead, we should be reciting the Oath instead of the Pledge that says we must be loyal to a piece of rectangular cloth colored red, white, and blue that hangs from a pole.
The Oath of Office is the same oath every incoming president of the United States recites as they rest a hand on a Bible and are sworn in.
In fact, all officers of the seven uniformed services of the United States swear or affirm an oath of office upon commissioning. It differs slightly from that of the oath of enlistment that enlisted members recite when they enter the service. It is required by statute, the oath being prescribed by Section 3331, Title 5, United States Code. It is traditional for officers to recite the oath upon promotion but as long as the officer’s service is continuous this is not required.
The U.S. Constitution, Article VI, clause 3 says, “The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
The first Oath of Office was given to those serving in the Continental Army, beginning in 1775. A candidate had to not only name the 13 states, but also swear to keep them “free, independent and sovereign states and declare no allegiance to George the third, king of Great Britain” as well as “defend the United States against King George, his heirs and successors, and his and their abettors, assistants and adherents.”
Francis Bellamy, a Christian socialist minister, and author wrote the original version of the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance in 1892 — 117 years after George Washington recited the first Oath of Office to become the first president of the United States.
In its original form the Pledge of Allegiance said:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1923, the words, “the Flag of the United States of America” were added. At this time it read: “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words “under God,” creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy’s daughter objected to this alteration.
I prefer the Oath of Office instead of the Pledge of Allegiance. When I recite the Oath, I think of it as a patriot’s true oath.
The president’s oath: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
History House.gov says, “The founders decided to require an oath for federal and state officials—absent a religious test—in the Constitution, but the specifics—such as the wording of the oath—were left to the First Congress (1789–1791). In its first act, Congress specified the wording: “I, A.B. do solemnly swear or affirm (as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States.” This oath was used for all federal officials except the President, whose oath was prescribed specifically in the Constitution (Article II, section 1, clause 8). …
“The oath used today has not changed since 1966 and is prescribed in Title 5, Section 3331 of the United States Code. It reads: “I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”
The Patriot’s Oath should read: I, [first and last name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion.”
Not once does the Oath or the Pledge say we must be loyal to the President of the United States, and I know without a doubt that I will not be loyal to President Donald Trump under any circumstances, because I think Trump is a domestic enemy of the U.S. Constitution.
_______________________
Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine, Vietnam Veteran, retired public school teacher, journalist, and award winning author.
I came across these posts while surfing the internet and thought it would be cool to combine them, add pictures and then post here for my readers.
The first list of definitions was written by someone in the Army, the intent was to help ‘Cherries’ understand some of the military slang en-route to war. The second grouping is mostly inherent to ‘Marine speak’ and some ‘Navy’. Finally, the last group lists Artillery terms, which might be universal across branches. Note: in some cases, I have added to the definitions within the first two groups to help clarify them or their uses. Some of these are also new to me as I’ve not heard them before.
I’m sure the Air Force and other branches also had unique slang within their units while in Vietnam – if they are not listed below and you feel they should be mentioned, then please leave…
The Huey was the most reliable and tough aircraft in the Army inventory. I always loved flying the Huey. It was the rookies’ savior and the old guy’s dream ride.
This chopper will go down in history as the DC-3 of Helicopters. Tim’s voice above, he forwarded this email to me from Paul Cotter, which I copied and pasted here
on my website and added the photos.
The Army retired the last Huey in 2011. Here’s a nice tribute to those who remember:
It was 53 yrs ago this month that the first Huey arrived in Vietnam with units that were to become part of the 145th and the 13th Combat Aviation Battalions; both units assigned here at Ft Rucker today.
While in Vietnam, the Huey flew approximately 7,457,000 combat assault sorties; 3,952,000 attack or gunship sorties and 3,548,000 cargo supply sorties. That comes to over 15 million sorties flown…
Bella had her surgery a few weeks ago and one of her rear legs was removed. Recovery was swift. She is now a tripod and is learning quickly how to adjust to three legs instead of four. The leg that was removed was sent out for a biopsy that revealed cancer in the leg with no evidence that the cancer had spread to her body. If the leg had not been removed, the cancer would have spread.
When I learn more details from Lisa and Robbie, I will add them to this update.
Sincerely, Lloyd Lofthouse
****
Robbie spent four years as a US Marine before he became a Green Beret Special Forces medic in the Army.
Bella, Robbie’s PTSD service dog started her life as a rejected show dog thanks to an overbite. Then she became a skilled and irreplaceable service dog, a companion, a friend, and above all a life-saving member of Robbie’s family.
But the story of Bella and Robbie didn’t start there.
Several years after being honorably discharged, a deeply concerned friend tricked Robbie into going to the VA, where he was diagnosed with service related PTSD. An account of this event is shared in Robbie’s soon to be released book The Next Mission.
Based on a recommendation that a service dog might help with Robbie’s PTSD symptoms that were becoming progressively worse, Robbie started the process to find a service animal. When he read Bella’s profile, he thought her temperament sounded ideal for his needs. Unfortunately, Bella was already scheduled for adoption to a man in Pennsylvania but that ended when the man lost his job and went through a divorce.
To meet Robbie, Bella started her second journey. She flew alone from Maryland to Atlanta with an eight-hour layover, before finally reaching her destination, Colorado Springs. Bella arrived severely dehydrated, starving, scared, and covered in her own feces. Lucky for Bella, Robbie’s medical training helped him deal with her health challenges and he was able to nurse Bella back to health.
Since then, the two have been inseparable.
Bella naturally and gracefully handles her responsibility as a service dog. When Robbie’s PTSD is triggered she will place her head in his lap to take his focus off the trigger. She will push her head under his hands, requesting a pet to give him a calming distraction. If she hears stress in his voice, she often stands between Robbie and who or what has triggered him.
Bella is a kind, loving, gentle giant that thinks she is a lap dog. I have never seen her aggressive unless she feels a member of her family is in danger. She has adopted us, my boys and I, as her own.
Bella has grown into a skilled and irreplaceable service dog, a companion, a friend and above all a loved member of our family.
Recently Bella was diagnosed with Cancer in her hip. The veterinarians and specialists we’ve met both recommended amputation of her hind quarter and possibly chemo therapy. They also assured us that this was the best course of action and treatment to give her a chance to reach her normal life expectancy. They assured us that dogs unlike people adapt quite easily to being a tripod.
However, this treatment comes at a very high price with the surgical estimate running between $5,000-$7,000 and that doesn’t include the expenses Robbie has already paid for x-rays, the diagnosis, medication, and the future possibility of chemo treatment.
With Robbie living on a fixed income due to his service disability, these costs are prohibitive, and we are not in a position to handle this expense. We are now faced with the grim possibility of having to consider putting Bella down. For anyone who has had to make this heartbreaking decision you know how devastating it can be. To be forced to make it due to financial constraints is even worse.
We would not be able to live with ourselves if we did not exercise every possibility to help save Bella. She has given so much of herself unconditionally, and it is our turn to take care of her.
Bella is the reason that Robbie, during very dark times, did not take his own life. It is incomprehensible for him to consider taking hers.
“In 2017 the report says the U.K. spent some $55.2 billion on defense, Germany $45.4 billion and France $45.9 billion. But this still pales when compared with the United States’ $685.9 billion in spending.”
But what about the European Union’s (EU) total spending on defense? “The total cumulative spending of the EU member states was 267.4 Billion USD.”
2. The People’s Republic of China – $228 billion 3. Saudi Arabia – $69.4 billion 4. Russia – $66.3 billion 5. India – $63.9 billion 6. France – $57.8 billion
If the European Union (EU) spent $267.4 billion on its defense in 2017, that means they were #2 on the list right behind the United States, and before China.
What will the EU’s combined military look like? The EU possesses 525 nuclear warheads and hosts between 90 and 130 US warheads. Italy hosts 70-90 B61 nuclear bombs, while Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands have 10-20 each.
The EU has the third largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world, after the United States and Russia.
The European Union’s combined active military forces in 2011 totaled 1,551,038 personnel while according to Pew Research, in 2017, 61,710 U.S. troops were deployed in the EU.
Since the U.S. has approximately 1.3 million active-duty troops that means less than five percent of US troops were stationed in Europe.
In addition, the United States and Russia are NOT the only countries with special forces troops.
The Top 10 Most Elite Special Forces units in the world taken from a list of fifty. Fifteen European countries have Special Forces units on the complete list. Three European countries are listed on the top ten with the British SAS at #1.
These are the TOP TEN:
British SAS
US Navy SEALs
Indonesian Kopassus
Russian Spetznaz
U.S. Delta Force
Indian NSG
U.S. Green Berets
German KSK
Australian Special Air Service Regiment
Polish GROM
Why did Donald Trump lie about the United States paying for Europe’s defense?
_______________________
Lloyd Lofthouse is a former U.S. Marine, Vietnam Veteran, retired public school teacher, journalist, and award-winning author.
Alejandro Juarez is the wife of a military veteran. He served four tours of duty in combat. She has two children born in America. She entered the country illegally twenty years ago. She has no criminal record. The Trump administration deported her to Mexico. That’s the result of the Trump zero-tolerance policy. I listened to her on radio on the day she was deported, leaving her family.
This is an administration that seems to enjoy separating families. There are at least 500 children who were separated from their parents at the border and have not been reunited with them. The Trump administration lost them. They had no system for identifying them and tracking their whereabouts. The administration had the nerve to tell the ACLU, which sued to demand reunification, to take charge of reuniting those the Trump administration had separated. Some of the lost children are babies. They can’t say…
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